About OXO

OXO

Mission

OXO is dedicated to providing innovative consumer products that make everyday living easier.

Design Philosophy

OXO was founded in 1990 on the philosophy of Universal Design, which means the design of products usable by as many people as possible. For OXO, that means designing products for young and old, male and female, lefties and righties and many with special needs. The goal of making products more usable forces us to first identify problems and inefficiencies of existing products (including our own!), not only in terms of comfort, but performance as well. This gives us the foundation to meet our commitment of making products that make a tangible improvement in peoples' daily lives.

Product Lines

Cooking Tools

Household Cleaning Tools

Baby and Toddler Products

Bath Cleaning Tools and Accessories

Barware

Storage and Organization Products

Office Products

Brand Names

Tagline:

Thoughtfully yours.

Total Number of Products:

More than 850

Number of Employees:

76 at OXO Headquarters in New York99 Worldwide

Annual Growth:

Between 1991 and 2009, OXO’s annual growth rate in sales was 27%.

Distinguishing Feature:

Universal Design - A philosophy of making products that are easy to use for the widest possible spectrum of users.

Satisfaction Guarantee:

We guarantee everything we make! If for any reason you are not satisfied with an OXO product, return it for replacement or refund. Please contact OXO's customer service department and we will be happy to assist you.

Meaning of OXO:

Pronunciation:

We hear a lot of interpretations of the pronunciation of the name, the most common being "hugs & kisses" or "Oh-X-Oh." The official pronunciation is "Ox-Oh."

Location:

The Starrett-Lehigh Building is Chelsea's largest and most prominent building. One city block long by one avenue wide, the landmark Starrett-Lehigh Building originally had a railroad running through it when built in 1932. Today the building is the home of OXO as well as a number of fashion, media & arts tenants. New York City's new Highline Park is just a block away, and the fabulous tenth floor view of the Hudson River is the icing on our office cake! We even bore witness to the famous landing of US Airways Flight 1549.

The Company also markets hair and beauty care products under the following trademarks to the professional beautysalon industry:

Helen of Troy

Hot Tools®

Hot Spa®

Salon Edition®

Gallery Series®

Wigo®

Ecstasy®

Nickname for OXO Employees

OXOnians

Nickname for OXO Fanatics

OXOniacs

Average Age of OXOnians

31.5

Country of Birth

Over 20% of OXO employees were born outside of the U.S. Of those born inside the U.S., nearly 70% were born in the Northeast, and 30% of those OXOnians were born in New York.

Languages Spoken

In addition to English, OXOnians speak 16 other languages including Swedish, Hebrew, Hindi, and Mandarin. Some of the less recognized languages spoken by OXOnians include "Pig Latin," "Broken Korean," "Menu Chinese," "Menu Italian" and "Enough Italian to Make Friends."

Astrological Signs

Similar to our geographic background, we're a fairly evenly rounded group consisting of all signs with the greatest number being Virgos. Four OXOnians were born under the NEW Astrological sign, Ophiucus.

Birth Order

It was surprising to us to learn that nearly 50% of OXOnians are the youngest in their family. Maybe that rebelliousness so common among later-born children is at the heart of OXOnians trying to do things better and making a task easier? We think so!

OXO Tots

We've had quite the baby boom recently. 25 babies were born to OXO employees between May 2004 and May 2009, but that number has continued to climb, with seven new babies since then and four more on the way. Most OXO parents have only one tot to date, but one brave soul claims they are planning on having enough to "build a basketball team." Good luck!

Food...

As you might imagine, food is hugely important to OXOnians. 95% of us eat breakfast - the most important meal of the day. When it comes to favorites, we're across the board from eggplant and cherries, to Dim Sum and Mediterranean cuisine. The two favorite foods? Sushi and pizza, followed by bacon. When it comes to ice cream, we are almost evenly split between mint chocolate chip and cookie dough.

...and Beverages

OXOnians are picky when it comes to their favorite drinks. Water is the most popular, followed by diet cola and lemonade. We're wondering who answered "any natural, fresh fruit juice with NOTHING added to it. Only fruit."

Most Popular OXO Tool Among OXOnians

The OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner ranks the most popular which, not surprisingly, is one of the most popular items among consumers.

Some Creative Uses of OXO Tools

There are as many creative uses for OXO products as there are OXO employees. But some of the more creative include:

Pulling hair back or up using the All-Purpose Clips (probably the most commonly seen untraditional use of an OXO product)

Our Career Aspirations

When OXO was introduced in 1990, many of us were past the age where we pondered the age-old question, "What do I want to be when I grow up?" Since working at OXO wasn't an option when we were young, most employees wanted to be teachers, dancers or athletes and one OXOnian wanted to be Encyclopedia Brown. As far as most interesting jobs before OXO? Our two favorites were "I used to write copy for the Sweet Valley High Website," and "Receptionist at a hair salon. I had to work under the alias, 'Martini.'"

Our Favorite Hobbies

We are a diverse group here with almost as many answers provided as there are OXOnians, but somehow it works. Most prefer to be outdoors, whether that's running, hiking, biking or going to the beach. Travel and reading are also very popular. Among our readers, most still prefer to curl up with a good old-fashioned book (instead of an e-reader).

Pet Preference

We're most definitely dog people.

A Celebrity OXOnian?

When asked which celebrity would fit right in at OXO, 12% of employees suggested Tina Fey. Other good suggestions? Top Chef All Star Richard Blaise, MacGyver and Mr. Wizard. Kudos to the OXOnians who suggested George Clooney and Megan Fox.

What We Love About Working at OXO

As eclectic a group of individuals we are, the thing we overwhelming love the most about working at OXO is the people. It is the one thing we agree on.

What We Like the Least About Working at OXO

Another thing we don't agree on is what we don't like. The one thing that we can point to as a source of frustration is the temperature control - you're either boiling or freezing in the OXO offices.

What Few People Know About Us

Among us, we have someone who can quickly say most words backwards; is a published poet; was bitten twice by a monkey; can say "I love you" in more than six languages including Greek and Hindi; was kicked out of a 6th grade school play two weeks before show time; fell off a cliff, out of a moving car, had a 4x4 beam hit their windshield and swallowed a bottle top (and is still alive); won the spelling bee in 3rd grade; lived in Japan, Mexico and Korea while growing up; was in an M&M commercial with Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson); is half marquise (and dated a count); married their high school sweetheart; is a ballroom dancing champ; hates ladybugs; is afraid of clowns; graduated in the top five of their college class; has more than 35 first cousins; and ran the New York City Marathon (whew!).